My First Quilt: Piecing the Top (Part 1)

This past weekend, I began piecing my quilt! Here’s a high-level overview:

• For the most part, my seams are all 1/4″ (thanks to the masking tape trick*).
• I did get a few birds nests with tangled thread but I learned I was going too quickly at the top of the fabric.
• I did backstitch the first squares before I realized there was no need to do so.
• It is very hard to tell which side of the solids fabric is the “right side.”

I think my greatest complaint to date about working on my first quilt is not having a designated space to work. My boyfriend and I live in a small loft, with no extra space to put a sewing table. The little extra space we did have has been filled with a flimsy desk I found online in order to make the work-at-home situation more bearable than continuing to work from the couch with a laptop. Thankfully, my boyfriend has a solid desk that he let me set up on for the weekend. And I’m glad, because I’d bet $5 that this heavy old Bernina would cause my flimsy desk to collapse. It’s barely withstanding my typing now.

Speaking of the Bernina, on Friday night I spent some time getting the machine ready to go. I brushed and vacuumed out what little thread and lint was in the stitch plate and bobbin area (shout out to Grandma for the upkeep). I oiled the hook with one drop of sewing oil, and replaced the bobbin with a freshly wound one. I changed the needle for a fresh size 80, and I rethreaded the machine with a soft neutral pink thread. After a few test stitches to make sure I threaded correctly, and placing down my masking tape, I was ready to start piecing!

It took about 3 hours of working to sew all 121 squares into 11 rows. I wish I had more time, but you don’t realize how busy you are until you sit down to sew. I did not (and do not) want to rush this project, so I stopped after sewing all 11 rows were completed. Thanks to sticky notes and pins, I labeled each of the rows with it’s row number and starting square.

This week (actually, starting tonight) I am going to press the seams, pin the rows together so the corners match, and start sewing. I imagine that will only take another 3 hours. I’m really liking how quickly this comes together when I do have the time to work on it!

*The masking tape trick is something I learned from watching Just Get it Done Quilts on YouTube. You use a piece of low-tack painter’s masking tape to create a guide on your sewing machine to help get that perfect 1/4″ seam.